Best Friend, I loved
by Ideas265
Summary: "Well, I know it sounds crazy, but who said falling in love with your friend is a lie?" he asked her, scratching his head. Blushing, he confessed, "When I saw you with eleven roses earlier, I saw twelve of the most beautiful things in this world. Would you be my…Mrs. Kirkland?" Fem! America, USUK, weddings and hardships galore!


The piano song starting playing and Arthur could hear his pulse racing. He felt his blood building and his senses numbing as the church doors were pushed open. He saw his bride, Amelia, walking down the aisle with her brother, the American flag in her hands instead of a bouquet. It couldn't be happening. She was walking to him. She wanted to be with him.

"_I'll always be there for you_," he'd told her when they were ten, meeting for the first time. The young Amelia laughed before running off to play 'Family' with her brother. _Wasn't she crying a moment before?_ Confused as he was, young Arthur kept his word. The school playground was huge, but he knew who 'owned' which part. For the American twins, it was the sand box. Amelia and her brother, Matthew, were playing pretend.

"_Eat up, Matt~_" she said, giving Matthew a handful of sand. When she wasn't looking, he dumped the sand behind him, rubbing his stomach afterwards.

"_Yum, sis_," he whispered. Turning around, his eyes fell upon the Brit. "_Um, do you want to play with us?_"

"_Sure_," Arthur replied, sitting next to the Canadian. Tying her hair into a ponytail, Amelia shoved a pile of sand to Arthur.

"_You can be the Daddy then! Baby Mattie isn't eating all of his baby food~_" Arthur shook his head at young Amelia's childish mind.

Looking at her now, she'd been through a long, long way. Arthur wondered if she ever knew it back then, the love he felt for her.

Upon the last few steps to the altar, Matthew let his sister go before retreating to where Best Man Francis was. Reaching out, Amelia and Arthur both held hands as priest Gilbert Beilschmidt walked up stage.

For once, he was dressed for the occasion. Pulling back the robe sleeves, he gestured everyone to stand up. The music died down, and everyone grew still. Hands up, Gilbert began, "Dearly beloved, we've all gathered today for the holy matrimony of Arthur Kirkland and Amelia Francine Jones."

Arthur was prepared. He had his vows and wishes memorized. He was holding the hands of his love. He was going to hold for as long as he could. He wanted her to always remember this magical day. Lifting her hands, Arthur said, "Our love is so unreal. I want you. I need you. I miss you. I love you. If this is a dream, then I don't want it to die. I don't know how this'll end, but I'll always cherish you. I fell in love with my best friend."

"A-Artie," Amelia whispered, eyes watering. Gilbert smiled, sending winks to Arthur that said; _Awesome move, Kirkland._ Francis, best man, blew his nose loudly into his handkerchief, not believing that the words came out of Arthur's mouth. The crowd was visibly affected by the Englishman's words, but they were eagerly waiting for Amelia's reply.

Blinking, she mustered,

"Artie, well, um…you see…" For once in her life, Amelia was out of words. Biting her lip, she whispered, "If I had a choice between breathing and saying 'I love you', I'll use my last breath to whisper 'I do'." Face pink, she added, "I guess I fell in love with my best friend, too."

Arthur broke into a watery grin. Pulling her into a hug, Arthur sniffed,

"That's all I wanted to hear, Amelia!" The gap was closed. They were together, and this was the day he'll remember most. Just hugging Amelia brought him back to the old days…

"_Why are you still giving Ivan a second chance?_" he'd asked Amelia, licking his ice cream cone, age fifteen. "_He hurt you again._" Amelia brushed her neck, touching the pink spot. She looked down at her ice cream, bags under her eyes. "_You've been crying, haven't you?_"

"_N-No_," Amelia started. "_Ivan's just going fast._"

"_You don't love him, do you?_" He knew he hit the jack pot when Amelia didn't argue.

"_I just want to him to change. I want him to know that someone cares._" Rubbing his fingers, Arthur reached to comfort Amelia but backed off. Returning back to his ice cream, he mumbled, "_Then I'll support you. Just…don't cry. Can you do that for me?"_ Amelia nodded, brushing Arthur's bangs away from his eyes. Blushing, he grabbed her hands.

"_A-Artie?_"

"_I…I…" _Why couldn't he say it? It was just three words, the easiest ones to say but the hardest to keep.

"_Amelia, S.U. is coming!_" Matthew yelled from the hill. Scrambling to her feet, Amelia pulled away from Arthur.

"_I'll see you tomorrow at school! Thanks for the support, Artie!"_

Arthur waved goodbye. Why couldn't he say it? But, her happiness was the priority. Even if she didn't like Ivan, she still cared and wanted to help him. _But, he's still another guy_, Arthur thought, watching his ice cream drip down his fingers.

It wasn't until years later that Arthur had his courage pumped up. Amelia and Ivan had broken up just a year before. This was his chance. He was out on the run trying to make it back to her. Seeing her all alone in the same cathedral from before, Arthur walked up and handed her roses.

"My birthday's in a month, you know," Amelia said, poking the petals. "What's with the gift?"

"Well, I know it sounds crazy, but who said falling in love with your friend is a lie?" he asked her, scratching his head. Blushing, he confessed, "When I saw you with eleven roses earlier, I saw twelve of the most beautiful things in this world. Would you be my…_Mrs. Kirkland?_"

* * *

Arthur sighed, loosening his tie. Watching the VCR spit out the old tape, Arthur stuffed it carefully into a zip-lock bag. It'd been years since he watched his and Amelia's wedding video. Smiling, he touched the American flag that was draped over his shoulders. Years of Amelia's loving care still reflected over the fabric.

Behind him, the door opened and Amelia came into view.

"What ya doing up here, Artie?" she asked, touching his shoulder. Smiling, "Last time I checked, you were cleaning through old junk."

Arthur laughed. "I just wanted to sink back to old memories." He handed her the wedding video. "How's our little Alfred?"

"Tiring as ever," Amelia joked. "He has so much energy for a three year old. I hope I wasn't like this when I was his age."

"Yeah," Arthur breathed, wrapping his arms around Amelia. Tied around her waist was England's flag—the same flag he gave her on their wedding. Amelia hugged the flag tightly.

"My boys, Al and Artie."


End file.
